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QUESTION: I sweat a lot when I exercise and feel that I shouldn’t sweat that much. What do you think?

ANSWER: Sweating is simply the human body’s air conditioning system. As you exercise, your body temperature rises thus triggering your body’s sweat mechanism. As you sweat, this moisture evaporates off of the surface of the skin which in turn cools the body and lowers its core temperature. This natural process prevents your body from overheating which can obviously be very dangerous. Sweating is normal, differs from person to person and sweating a lot doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you…it means something is “right” with you! Grab a towel and keep working hard.

QUESTION: I took your advice from early in the summer and purchased a bicycle. I have become very fond of riding my bike, but it is now getting cold and I will miss riding. What can I do in the fall and winter months?

ANSWER: Don’t stop riding. Fall is a great time to ride. There is nothing quite like a bike ride in the fall with the trees changing color and a cool crisp breeze. Go to your local bike shop and purchase some cold weather riding gear. You will be surprised at how warm and comfy the gear will make you feel as you ride. As for the weather, Cincinnati usually has mild winters that allow you to ride right through the cold season, except on extremely cold or snowy days. My philosophy is that if you love an activity (a healthy one that is), don’t let anything or anyone stop you from enjoying it. On days when you can’t ride outside, go to your local gym and ride a stationary bike or take a Spinning class. (This is a class that has a number of high-tech stationary bikes and an instructor to take you through a simulated bike ride.) These classes are challenging but great because you can go at your own pace. Don’t let the changing seasons stop you from getting in great shape. View the different seasons as opportunities to do different things to keep you motivated and fit!

Here are a few of my favorite things broken up into categories for your viewing pleasure:

Carbohydrates

Whole Grain Brown Rice- A true superfood that naturally has a great flavor, so seasoning and additions can be kept to a minimum. Great source of slow-released energy for quality training and recovery without unwanted bodyfat.

Sweet Potatoes-Another superfood with a great natural flavor and long list of benefits that need not be goofed up by adding sugar, butter and anything else that people add to them. A dash of cinnamon is really all that is needed from time to time, keep it simple!

Protein

Egg Whites- Amazing protein that metabolizes into your system close to 100% and helps you add lean muscle and recover from tough training.

Bison- A great source of red meat that is more lean than chicken breast, offers more recuperative benefits for those who train hard at any discipline and it cooks really fast due to it having such low amounts of fat. The Native Americans had it right, the settlers were ignorant and stupid…America is addicted to an inferior source of meat because of this historic stupidity. Take some time to compare Beef to Bison. “Wow” is the only word that will come out of your mouth!

Veggies

Asparagus (simple, packed with nutrients and needs very little to make it taste amazing…tad bit of olive oil, garlic, dash of salt & pepper…mmm!)

Broccoli- (simple, packed with nutrients and needs very little to make it taste amazing…tad bit of olive oil, garlic, dash of salt & pepper…mmm!)

Spinach- (simple, packed with nutrients and needs very little to make it taste amazing…tad bit of olive oil, garlic, dash of salt & pepper…mmm!)

Healthy Fats

Flaxseed, Primrose, Fish and Borage Oils-Look them up! All great for helping the body believe it or not…metabolize and transport other fats. You need fats to utilize fats. These oils are also great for recovery, lubricating joints and even aiding in the process of adding lean muscle. A favorite blend of mine is called EFA Gold by a company named Beverly International.

Strength Moves

Squats-There are obviously countless moves that I use in the gym but one I can’t do without is the Squat Movement, it is the fountain of youth!

Pull-Ups- Nothing like a bodyweight movement that requires no equipment yet always provides a burn and great muscular development…and I mean always!

Shrugs- Keeping your Trapezius muscles strong and conditioned is very important. They are present in almost every upper body movement you make yet so many people fail to train them. Don’t be “that person”…train your traps!

Cardiovascular

Cycling- Mountainbiking, Road cycling, and BMX….ahhh Bicycles….can’t imagine life without them! I call them “the toys that give back”…

Trail Running- The wind, the leaves, the trees, the nature, the smells…sniffle… it’s a true experience! It is running without the boredom. It requires more than just a pace, it requires skill, balance, coordination and much more focus than a boring run on a busy run or bike path. The ever-changing terrain forces you to constantly adapt on the fly and adjust your pace and strides.

Sprint workouts at whatever local track you can find- Great way to mix up your routine and for many people, it is much more effective at burning fat rather than running mile after mile. How many fat sprinters are there? Not many at all!

When it comes to your personal health, fitness and nutrition, there is too much talking going on. While everybody talks, the statistics in terms of lack of activity, obesity, type II diabetes and many other types of problems that create our country’s long list of ills and causes of death continue to rise! I don’t mean to come off as “preachy” or the voice of doom and gloom but sometimes things just have to be said.

However, shutting me up is simply a matter of you putting one foot in front of the other and getting consistent exercise. If you already consistently exercise, explore ways of diversifying or improving your current endeavors.

As of late, I have been encountering a lot of people who are more consistent with researching and talking about getting results rather than actually getting out and garnering them. For example, I was talking to a friend and we had a long conversation about all kinds of formats and topics with regard to fitness. As we were finishing our talk, she said that she needs to actually try some of the things that she had read, researched and heard about.

Fitness doesn’t have to be a complex puzzle to figure out, it really is a simple process of starting with the basics, working your way up to higher levels of conditioning and letting the natural process of common sense paired with trial and error unfold. Are there basics to learn? Certainly but make sure that there is just as much experimentation with your body actually doing the things that you may find interesting or exciting in your “fitness research.”

I have been in the fitness industry for many years and I never take for granted the fact that there are endless amounts of training formats, philosophies and activities for me to learn about and try. The key word is “try” because without getting in the mix and trying different things, you will miss out on the many benefits that come with the process of personal exploration. I learn something new every day with my fitness research but my research has me out in the field doing rather than talking. I say this not because I think I am Mr. Awesome but because early in my fitness career, I thought that the world revolved around the weightroom, tight abdominal muscles, how much weight I could lift and making people sore when I trained them. Wow, what a narrow scope huh?

Through a series of ah hah, moments that came from opening my mind up to new activities, sports and training techniques, I now have a long list of amazing experiences on top of new levels of conditioning to treasure and enjoy. I am very confident you can do the same, so keep talking but just make sure you are moving too. Fitness is yours for the taking….so take it!

This morning’s segment at the Monon Food Company has yielded a great Fish Taco Recipe that is great for the summer…Check it out!

The following is the recipe/instructions on how to make Chipotle Fish Tacos.

Ingredients:

6oz of Tilapia will make two tacos. (3oz per taco)
Mayo
Chipotle pepper (can be purchases in a bottle)
Cabbage
Salsa
Guacamole
6″ tortillas

First you need to make sure your pan of olive oil (2 tablespoons) is very
hot. You want to sear the fish, so don’t put it in the oil until you know
it’s hot.

Spice your fillet with kosher salt, black pepper, a little garlic powder
(or fresh garlic), basil and oregano. Spice one side and drop that side
face down into the oil. While it is cooking… season the second side
(facing up).

Cover the pan to help cook the fish evenly throughout. Depending on the
size of your fillets (I like a 5 to 7oz) cook no more than two minutes on
each side to insure that you do not over cook it.

Once the fish is cooked, put it on a plate, set aside and prepare to make
the tacos.

Chipotle mayo is a blend of Chipotle peppers (blended in your food
processor), mayo (organic real mayo is preferred), add some garlic powder
to taste and blend in food processor until it is nice and orange. Yummy!!!

Note: Start with a moderate amount of chipotle pepper and add more to mayo
as needed. You want to be careful not to over spice your guests. Place in
bowl and set aside

Chop your cabbage into strips.Place in bowl and set aside

You can either make a pico de gallo salsa and guacomole, or just buy it if
you aren’t in the mood or would not prefer to add the extra steps.

Once all your ingredients are assembled, have them close to your pan (the
one you used for cooking the fish). Smear the chipotle mayo on the 6″
tortillas (either corn or flour) and place in hot pan with just a little
olive oil (one teaspoon). Do not have the skillet too hot like you did
when you cooked the fish. Let it cool down a bit so you don’t burn the
tortilla. You just want to brown it a little for the crunchy exterior.

While the tortilla is on the pan add about 3oz of fish, shredded cabbage,
and salsa. Check the bottom of the tortilla to make sure it is browned and
then pull it off with a spatula. Once on the plate… add guacamole and
serve with pride. The oohs and aahs will follow. OH…you can squeeze a
little lime over the top if you would like. Not too much though… there
is a lot of flavor working already.

I am always looking for new sources of both information and motivation with regard to my exercise. Believe it or not, watching high level tennis matches always offers up something I can use to help take me to another level.

I was watching a Wimbledon match yesterday and noticed that these players deal with more hardship than success during their matches.

Aside from the physical demands, Tennis is a mental game and success depends on how well you can fight through hardship, how well you can constantly focus and re-focus yourself depending on what is going on at any given moment.

What is so symbolic is the fact that these players are all alone out there on the court and there is nothing or nobody there to help them but themselves. When the players dig themselves into ruts, you can see them
cursing to themselves, tossing racquets and yes, even hitting themselves! There are no shortcuts, no easy escape routes and no excuses when it comes to determining their fate.

These facts are the mirror image of you and your fitness endeavors.

While you can seek the help and company of others, you are essentially alone out there and it is up to you to take responsibility for both the plan and action with regard to your health & fitness.

Dont assume that hardship, off-days and even feeling bad are not part of the process because they most certainly are. When you look at any successful athlete or any successful person, what separates them from those who are less successful is the fact that they embrace, fight through and rise above difficult times. If you always expect instant success or feeling great, you will be unprepared for any type of hardship and then prematurely toss in the towel and quit.

Quitting happens far too often with people and their fitness endeavors. If you stay focused on your goals and view setbacks, failures and bad days as much a part of the process as all the good things, you will be far more able to stay on track toward the levels of health & fitness that you have always imagined.

Success is waiting for you…embrace the entire process of getting there and go get it!

Many people have been requesting a basic strength training routine to help them that they can use at home. Well….here it is, all you need to do is purchase a set of dumbbells and off you go!

Walmart actually has dumbbells for a good price so start there or your local sporting goods retailer. After that, get ready and get lifting! Remember to use proper form and technique and of course…Eat right and get your cardiovascular work in such as running or walking. Go Get Em!